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Performance Training

Meet VABA's Performance Training Team!  

 


Chad Powlovich, Performance Trainer

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Justin Tooley, Performance Trainer

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Toni Jackson, Performance Trainer

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Meet our Lead Instructors!

Performance Training (Individual & Small Group)

PERFORMANCE TRAINING prepares each athlete for the vigor of the long basketball season and makes sure each athlete is attacking their weaknesses off the court so they can stay healthy on the court. A lot of times as kids grow they may have great skills as far as basketball goes but those skills aren’t their weakness on the court. Maybe their coaches critique of them is that they need to get quicker or faster, be more explosive, get stronger. Well these aspects aren’t going to improve my just doing drills on the court with the basketball, they need to be trained and worked on. This is why strength and conditioning is such a huge part of high school, college and professional athletics now. Without the strength and conditioning piece it is tough for athlete’s bodies to take the pounding day in and day out of their sport, and then they end up being more prone for injuries down the road. 


Why Performance Training?
 
Private instruction focuses specifically on the individual. Training one on one makes it much easier to attack an athlete’s weaknesses they have in their body to make sure each drill, lift, exercise is done correctly. Athlete’s tend to compensate and like to use some muscles more than others which can lead in imbalances and injury down the road. With individual training every move is monitored making sure my athletes are moving properly and getting the most out of training.
 
PRE-ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION
 
All Private Instruction sessions will begin with a comprehensive Pre- Assessment (speed, agility, power strength, and a movement screen) to give us baseline measurements. I also talk about nutrition with each athlete because most athlete’s don’t realize that what they eat and when they eat really impacts their performance on the court. The initial evaluation process is essential in order to see what the athlete’s weaknesses are and allows us to individualize the training program. Identifying strengths and weaknesses is critical, but instilling confidence in our athlete’s and getting to know each one personally is just as important. Once the athlete can see and feel their weaknesses they will be given homework to do outside of the one on one sessions. This ensures that their bodies remember the correct movement patterns, guaranteeing that they reach their full potential, and most importantly decreases the risk of injury. 
 
INSTRUCTION / DEVELOPING HABITS
 

Our motto is “coaching is teaching,” and I have developed an extremely thorough, diversified strength and conditioning program for individual development. All individual programs are different from one another as every athlete needs to improve differently from a physical standpoint.

After the initial evaluation and assessment has taken place, I get to work on developing my athletes to reach their physical potential. The initial focus of all my athletes is the following

  • Making sure they have the flexibility/mobility to perform all drills correctly
  • Making sure they know how to run properly so they can not only be faster but make sure they aren’t using unwanted energy throughout a whole game
  • Making sure they know how to decelerate and accelerate properly as deceleration is when most injuries occur
  • Making sure their mechanics are correct and they are using the right muscles when jumping and landing on one and two feet

After these bases are covered I then tackle the power and strength portion of training. This part of training includes

  • Olympic lifting to increase power created from their posterior chain
  • Plyometric drills like hurdle hops, box jumps, broad jumps, skate hops to increase rate of force development and to train their muscles to work fast and explosively
  • Basic strength training (squats, lunges, bench press) to increase the recruitment of the key muscles when playing basketball

Following the training session it is important to make sure all perform stretches to keep each muscle at its optimal length so it can fire properly. This is also the time to make sure my athletes are ingesting the proper nutrients to replenish their muscles for the next workout, game, practice etc.

GROUP & TEAM TRAINING

There are two basic options one has when considering instruction in a group setting: GROUP or TEAM TRAINING

GROUP TRAINING is simply working in a small or large group with other basketball players. This can be formed on your own, and then set up, through Virginia Basketball Academy staff, based on specifically requested day and time availability. Groups can also be formed by Virginia Basketball Academy staff by connecting individual athletes who have expressed interest in adding strength and conditioning into their workout regimen.

TEAM TRAINING is designed to involve players who compete on the same team. Coaches or parents may organize the players to take part in these sessions; Coaches are given the opportunity to voice their opinions on what the team as a whole needs most incorporated into their program. This can be things like injury prevention, speed and agility, quickness, power, strength etc.


WHY GROUP & TEAM TRAINING?

GROUP AND TEAM TRAINING is a great way for a team or group of friends to develop physically together and allows them to hold each other accountable. I find that just like on court conditioning drills, athlete’s will push themselves a little harder in the weight room or during speed and agility drills when they are in the group or team setting. I feel like GROUP AND TEAM TRAINING instills confidence in both the players and coaches that they did everything they could to prepare for the competition or season. 

CONFIDENCE / PERFORMANCE GOALS

Sometimes, more than anything, young players struggle with confidence. I view strength and conditioning as one way to increase any athlete’s confidence on and off the court. I have seen it first hand, that even after a few sessions my athlete’s start begin to play stronger and tougher on the court and in practice because they know that they have been doing more and are stronger than the opposing players. 

WHO IS PERFORMANCE TRAINING FOR?

Our PERFORMANCE TRAINING PROGRAM is for any age, boy or girl, who is serious about basketball.  This would include teams, small groups and/or individuals.  With my younger athletes I work more on proper movement mechanics, bodyweight power exercises and strength training exercises. The main focus here is to make sure that as they age they are using the correct muscles to do things making them less prone for injury. With my older athlete’s I focus on the same things but include more resistance training drills as many of them grow so fast that their muscles aren’t necessarily strong enough to support the movements they are trying to make.

HOW DO I GET STARTED?

For those interested in acquiring more information on our unique Individual Development sessions, please e-mail me at Chad@PlayVABA.org or call 802-310-7871.

Please email a VABA Team Member to receive your 50% OFF Membership "Discount Code"...

and register to join "The Gym" for one (1) to six (6) months - no initiation fees, no long-term contracts!  Feel free to visit "The Gym" at 1739 B Allied Street Charlottesville, VA 22903 or call (434) 878-0369 to learn more!

Get stronger!  Get in better shape!  Utilize Coaches Tooley and Jackson's personal training options to become a better athlete and/or (for younger athletes) more explosive and efficient basketball player!

Email VABA at thegym@playvaba.org!  Thank you!